Larry Brickner-Wood had been waiting several years for a patron to donate a piano to the Waysmeet Center. Now, three months after gastrointestinal anthrax was found in that very room, Brickner-Wood may be resigned to wait again.
"I waited for years for someone to donate a piano," said Brickner-Wood, executive director of the Center. "We'll see how it sounds after [the remediation] but I'm sure we'll eventually get another one donated."
Brickner-Wood's piano is just one of the items currently in the Waysmeet Center that most likely will not be saved in the remediation process that the Center must go through in order to open its doors again to the public. Last week, the Center's board of directors reviewed three state approved plans before coming to a unanimous decision Wednesday night to proceed with the remediation plan from CYN Environmental Services, which is headquartered in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
The Center has already been granted $10,000 from the United Way to help cover costs, but that is not nearly minimum amount needed to fulfill the required state remediation plan from CYN. According to Brickner-Wood, the remediation itself will cost $70,000, depending on how many days the process takes, and will likely cause $10,000 to $15,000 in damages. On top of these expenses, the Center has a leftover bill from the first round of regional testing back in December of an estimated $20,000 and has lost over $5,000 in income from services unable to operate as well or as efficiently without the Center. It is estimated by Brickner-Wood that the Center's total expenses for the entire remediation process will exceed $100,000, which is about the annual budget of the Center.
Brickner-Wood has yet to hear back from the Center's insurance company on whether they will cover any of the estimated costs, and he plans to fundraise to pay for the remediation.
"We already function partially on donations, so I have great faith that we will be able to raise the money needed from our network," said Chuck Goeller, administrative director of the Center.
Because six trace samples of gastrointestinal anthrax were found on the first floor of the Center in December, every room in that area must be soaked in a bleach-like solution containing water and vinegar, among other ingredients. While some items can be saved, according to Brickner-Wood, the furniture, books, student paintings and the piano probably will not make it through the process.
"Spiritually, we're letting go of most stuff," said Brickner-Wood. "It was difficult at first, but it has to be done."
Although it is feasible to save some of the paintings and books, Brickner-Wood said that the drying out process of those items would increase the price of each remediation plan. In order for items to be saved, according to Brickner-Wood, each item would need to be soaked in the solution and dried out in the building, rather than the original, less expensive plan of just throwing out the items in a dumpster adjacent to the building. Even if the plan increased in price and the paintings were dried, there is no guarantee that the artwork would still be visible or undamaged.
"The hardest part of the process for me personally is losing the artwork from former and present students because those pieces have sentimental value," said Brickner-Wood.
While some items in the Center are seemingly replaceable, the original student artwork and the written history of the Center are pieces that will be stripped away along with the possibly remaining spores of anthrax. Marta Sanchez, an artist and poet, had donated two pieces of artwork to the Center's community room. When Sanchez first visited Waysmeet after a presentation for sexual assault awareness month at UNH, she said she felt instantly welcomed at the Campus Ministry.
"To be in a space that is open and inviting to everyone, without prejudice, judgment, or criticism, was really healing for me," said Sanchez. "There is something about the place and the community of people connected with it that just puts me at ease."
On Sanchez's second trip to the Center, she presented Larry with two paintings, one of which was entitled "We are in the company of angels." This finger painting, which Sanchez created while playing with her niece and nephew in Panama, was a representation of how the Center made her feel and how important she thought it was to the UNH community as a whole.
"I thought it was symbolic of how I felt in the Waysmeet Center and how each person who walks through the door is treated - like an angel, a divine presence worthy of respect, attention, and love," said Sanchez.
Sanchez also said that she is in awe of the Center and knows that it will continue to thrive through the remediation.
"I believe that that during this process, the Waysmeet community will once again excel at what it does best: uniting people of all backgrounds for a common cause," said Sanchez.
Some individuals, like Alissa Brady, hope to be back in the Center soon and have a fresh start. Brady, a social work intern at the Center, was at first saddened when she heard the news after Christmas about the Waysmeet. Now, although she's anxious for the remediation process to start and to eventually get back into the Center, she is frustrated that all the work that she, Brickner-Wood, Goeller, and other volunteers have done is being somewhat overshadowed by a single event.
"We can't wait to get back in there because it's such a great place," said Brady. "It's unfortunate that one bad thing that happened gets more attention than all the good things we do."
The actual remediation will last from 10 to 14 days, while the final approval needed from the state for the chosen plan and post testing will take two weeks. Goeller, who has been with the Center for 12 years, hopes to be back at Waysmeet by the end of spring break.
"I used to see the residents everyday and many students would wander into the Waysmeet Center]," said Goeller. "It's [the temporary office] not the same atmosphere as the Center."
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